Holiday Survival Guide Part 4 – Why Are You Waiting Until January?
Stop procrastinating! Stop making excuses! Just get started!
Yes, it is crazy this time of the year. But, you need to take care of yourself.
Stop telling yourself that you will get back to the gym in January and that you just have to get through the holidays. All that is going to do is add ten pounds you will need to lose all over again.
If you are waiting to start exercising in January, stop waiting and get started today. Think about how much better you will feel when you wake up January 1st and have already lost a few pounds by already having started your journey. Compared to having to start then at day one.
It does not take much to keep up with your workouts or get started. Keep up by making it a priority to get in two workouts each week. Is that doable? You bet. Get started by taking a walk each day. Do able? Absolutely. If you are able to get in a couple sets of push ups and squats with bodyweight a few times a week that is bonus.
Stop procrastinating and just get started. Stop making excuses about why you can’t workout right now and just commit to a couple short workouts each week.
Get started and do not stop. In January you will be glad you did.
For more information check us out here:
https://pittsburghnorthfitness.leadpages.co/30-day-trial-membership/
PNF Hotel Workout
Traveling and need to get in an awesome workout, but stuck with a crappy hotel gym? No worries, we’ve got you covered.
Find a set of stairs or stairwell and get it done with this short, simple, and effective workout.
At the bottom of the stairs do 25 Push Ups.
Sprint to the top and do 25 Bodyweight Squats.
Walk back to the bottom and repeat five times.
Holiday Survival Workout
Whether you are traveling for work, or with family, you can still keep up with your fitness with this simple bodyweight workout.
Round #1
Bodyweight Squat 25 reps
Dolphin Plank 25 reps
World’s Greatest Stretch 30s each side
Repeat 3x
Round #2
Mountain Climbers 25 each side
Push Ups 10-25 reps
Wave Squat 10 reps
Repeat 3x
Round #3
Alternating Reverse Lunge 15 reps each side
Side Plank with Hip Drop 15 reps each side
1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Rainbow 10 reps each side
Round #4
Bear Crawl Square 1-2 Minutes
(Crawl two steps forward, two step left, two steps back, two steps right, repeat in opposite direction, continue for allotted time.)
Why An Hour?
Do you really need an hour to get an effective workout?
At PNF we get asked all the time why our sessions are only 45-50 minutes, rather than an hour?
Short Answer: Because it only takes that long to get an effective workout.
Slightly Longer Answer: An hour session is really just an old school training method that was started because of scheduling. It was easy to schedule clients on the hour, so we trained them for an hour. No scientific reason or benefit behind it. Just simple scheduling.
In fact, we used used to be like everyone else and did hour sessions. However, we were always finding ourselves with 10-15 minutes of time to fill. We got everything done that was needed. The clients were getting amazing results. But, the designed workouts were always 10-15 minutes short of an hour. So we’d add some stuff on the fly – real scientific huh? Then, we got to thinking. If we get everything in in under an hour, and the clients are seeing great results, why don’t we just start building our sessions on a 45-50 minute block of time? So we did and now our coaches get a few minutes gather their thoughts befor the next workout, talk with members, eat something, and take a bathroom break. And our members get the same results, actually better, in less time and can use that time to get other things done.
If you can get the same, or better, results in less time, why are you doing more?
More is not better, it is just more.
Recipe of the Week – Southern-Style Collard Greens
Add this delicious recipe for Southern-Style Collard Greens as a side at your holiday dinner party.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound collard greens, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and butter. Saute the onions until slightly softened, about 2 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes and garlic, cook another minute. Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender, about 40 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Per Serving
Calories 122
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 2g
Protein 4g
Carbohydrates 14g
Sugar 5g
Source: Food Network recipe by Sunny Anderson
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe.html
Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Office Party
Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Holiday Party
How to survive the office holiday party.
Over the next few weeks you will more than likely have your share of Christmas parties to attend. Some you may be looking forward to and catching up with old friends, while others may be more out of obligation.
So how do you keep your nutrition in check and your belt buckle at the same notch?
Simple really. You just need a plan.
#1. Which parties do you want to really indulge at, let your hair down, and just kick back and have a good time? At those let yourself have a few drinks with your friends. If there are appetizers “to die for”. Treat your self and enjoy them. As for the other obligatory parties sip a scotch or nurse a beer or two through out the night. And then make an early exit.
#2. Never show up hungry. Sure it’s easier to just eat when you get there. But will that be the best and healthiest option? Probably not, and you will end up eating stuff you normally wouldn’t. Eating a healthy meal before will ensure that you don’t gorge yourself on fried and sugary foods along with preventing your from mindlessly munching throughout the night.
#3. Use the smallest plates available. Research has shown that eating a full plate results in a feeling of satisfied hunger, regardless of the size of the plate. So filling a smaller plate will result in eating less, but still experiencing the same satisfaction.
#4. Don’t make it a late night. To prevent weight gain you need to get your sleep, more on this in Part 4, but for now set a time that you plan to leave and stick to it. This way you won’t wake up the next morning regretting the “just one more beer” that you had three times and only four hours of sleep.
This is a fun, festive time of the year. Stick to the rules above and you will make it through to January still wearing the same size pants.